Lancers Standing United

12

Shares

By: Jesse Schrade

Please rise for the singing of our national anthem.

Imagine being at a Lancers basketball game and hearing those words. As the announcer requested, you get up and so do others in the crowd. You look down to witness the Lancer team has their arms around each other’s shoulders and their heads down or a player’s fist is raised. What is the harm in this? “Nothing,” should be the answer if you listen to entertainer Will.I.Ams lyrics “If you only have the love for your own race, then you only leave space to discriminate.”

These demonstrations are getting a lot of coverage across multiple sports leagues. Players are standing united with each other during a time of turmoil. Brought forth by a man who has captivated many and made them turn against their fellow countryman, the Donald.

There is a lot of discussion going on about what these protests are actually about. When it comes down to the truth, it is about equality. As we stand witness to athletes of all races standing together in unity for a common goal.

A team is like a family, athletes have each other’s backs. Now the fans, who have multiple different angles thrown at them, are different. Do they just let it happen, do they listen to the “man” and become disgusted by the actions or do they do what is right and stand up for a just cause.

I believe that if any of our Lancers teams decided to protest the anthem it would not be criticized by many. Because as Canadians, we are much more accepting and supportive of our fellow countryman.

The University of Windsor and any other Canadian university are like a society themselves, a very diverse society at that.

If you grew up in Windsor, you would have most likely grown up in a diverse setting. The fact of the matter is, Canada is a very inclusive country of people’s beliefs. Lancer athletes, representing Canada, do not have any particular protest against our country. This act would be one representing solidarity and unification.

Those who cannot see it this way need to be educated. The likes of Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King and Jackie Robinson all fought hard to make strides towards equality, so people could have a fair and just life. There is no time to revert back to the discriminatory days of old, time keeps moving forward and so should we.

Equality and unification are topics in almost any setting. If a team and its fan base can unify together against an evil thought, it’s the equivalent of Neil Armstrong’s moon landing “that’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” Even though it is a small sample size, the more groups that can understand the issue, the greater impact it can have.

It would be a good thing to see the Lancers demonstrate an act of unification, showing that even in Canada, we have the backs of everyone no matter their race, culture and nationality.

Instead of focusing on ourselves we must focus on each other. A certain Black Eyed Peas song could not have more meaning to society than right now. And I think that as a university we must ask each other “Where is the love?” Because the truth is “I think the whole world is addicted to the drama.”